


AKA Five Times Kilgrave Broke the Rules & One Time Jessica Did

by Cellardoor26



Series: The Dynamic Duo Universe [2]
Category: Jessica Jones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama & Romance, F/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-19 22:55:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20665175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cellardoor26/pseuds/Cellardoor26
Summary: Part 1.5 of my Dynamic Duo Universe. In a world where Jessica chooses to join with Kilgrave and right the world one good deed at a time there are rules they must follow. Kilgrave's not very good at it, and sometimes Jessica isn't either.(Or just read the title)This is a bit less angsty than the first of the series, but is that saying much in this universe?





	AKA Five Times Kilgrave Broke the Rules & One Time Jessica Did

  1. He’s not allowed to touch her without her consent

They’re in line for a movie in some backwater town in the middle of nowhere. It’s been four days since they’re worked a case and Kilgrave has an antsiness about him that used to terrify Jessica and now just makes her wish they could get a break from each other. 

Jessica takes out her phone for the millionth time that hour and looks for something to occupy her mind when Kilgrave grabs her hand. 

"Hey!" She exclaims, but he's leaned in, his voice ghosting over her ear.

"Check out the ‘couple’ in front of us." She looks to where he’s nudging her and then exclaims with what Kilgrave calls her laugh and she insists is just breathing loudly. 

“No way!” She hears the smile in Kilgrave’s voice as he hums an agreement with her. She really shouldn’t be so amused but, it’s just a bit ludicrous how easily Kilgrave can spot them. She turns to him, still smiling, and notices how close he is to her, that he’s still holding her hand. 

She shakes his hand off and watches his expression as she slips her phone back into her pocket. She watches his eyes narrow a bit, but she doesn’t make him take a step back from her so he doesn’t complain. She wonders if she wants him to. 

“How much do you think he’s paying her?” She asks, despite herself. His eyes don’t leave her face. 

“Who says he’s the one paying?” 

  1. Kilgrave can’t leave her line of sight without her permission

They’re at the county records office in Kansas City, waiting for the physical copy of a cold case file and making bets on how long it’ll take. So far they’re both losing. It’s so swelteringly hot Jessica’s forgone her usual leather for a t-shirt and her jeans with the most holes in them. Kilgrave’s one capitulation to the weather was the loss of his suit jacket and vest, and Jessica watches him in amusement as he gets hotter and more flustered at the stuffiness of the room. 

It’s the fifth time the receptionist’s insisted it’ll just be another five minutes when Kilgrave turns to her with a “please kill me” look on his face. Jessica offers back a smile that shows she’d be delighted to.

“You really don’t want me to hurry up our wait?” He asks Jessica, after having made another circle around the room. Jessica ignores him as she’s already answered this question twice, and looks at the magazine she isn’t reading. She hears him let out a long suffering sigh before making another lap around the room. As hot as it is in here, Kilgrave’s obvious annoyance makes it bearable. 

It’s a few minutes later when Jessica lowers the magazine, she hasn’t heard Kilgrave sigh or mutter under his breath. The room is empty, save for the receptionist. 

“Did you see where my friend went?” Jessica asks in a rush, not noticing her phrasing in the haste to get the question out. 

“Ah honey, I think he’s just in the bathroom.” The woman says, smiling at her in a “aren’t you cute?” way. 

Jessica ignores it.

Instead she looks around for a sign of him, and hurries down the hallway. Both bathrooms are empty, but when she comes out she notices a door she hadn’t seen in her haste.

Opening it, she sees Kilgrave standing in front of a fan. He turns slightly towards the door and smiles at her. 

“Oh my god Jessica you have to feel this. It is amazing.” He moves a bit to the right and she stands next to him. Seeing her face he adds; “Right? It’s great.” 

She doesn’t answer, standing a bit closer. It is great. 

  1. If Kilgrave steps one toe out of line 

Every once in awhile Jessica meets someone she actually likes. 

Usually they remind her of Trish, or her little brother, or there’s something about them with their sense of optimism that Jessica can’t help but soften around, at least a little bit. 

And, of course, Kilgrave hates to see her favor anyone (regardless of their gender) so much it’s almost worth it alone.

This time though, the person is a good looking guy named Aiden, who’s studying to be a chemist and has a stack of hospital records to prove someone’s putting a dangerous chemical in a local pool. Kilgrave nearly refused (“What about when we solve this and it makes the news?”) but Jessica had been able to convince him with a time honored point (“He’s gonna pay us 5 grand.”). As the case drags on - who knew how difficult it would be to get a sample of the water? - Kilgrave’s mood worsens. 

They’re on a stakeout of sorts where all three are crammed in the guy’s van (there’s always a van) and waiting for a guard shift change. Aiden’s making some joke about the action he gets in the thing and Jessica is laughing a bit harder than the jokes warrants when Kilgrave makes a sound very much like harumph while studying his nails. Jessica, still with a smile on her lips, turns to look at Kilgrave and all her good cheer leaves her as she sees the monster looking back at her. She expects a command to come flying out of his mouth and is wholly unprepared for his menacing yet polite- 

“Jessica, a moment?” And steel grip on her arm as he leads her outside. She rolls her eyes at his maneuver as he slams the van’s back doors, wanting to tell him off for making so much noise. It fills her with a righteous type of rage she hasn’t felt in too long and she gears up for a typical shouting match when Kilgrave does something wholly surprising. 

“Do you fancy him?” He asks roughly, his hand still about her arm. She thinks about breaking his grip and tugs lightly. With a sigh he lets her go. 

“Do you?” He asks again. Jessica turns her head from side to side, annoyed.

“Kilgrave; he’s 19, practically a child.” Her voice screams disbelief at his question. Kilgrave’s look of relief annoys her even more and she wonders why they aren’t yelling at each other; stakeout be damned. 

“Don’t laugh at his jokes.” Even though it’s spoken as a command there’s no compulsion behind it. 

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Laugh at my jokes.”

“Be funny”

“Jessica…” his hands hover around her shoulders. Jessica opens her mouth to tell him to get his hands away when he pulls her roughly against him into a smothering hug. “You make me feel so many things.” He whispers in her hair. Jessica thinks about pushing him away. She thinks about yelling at him, stakeout be damned, and a small piece of her wonders how he’d react if she wrapped her arms around him, pulling just as tightly. Instead she does nothing, her recent go to method, and after a moment Kilgrave pulls away, his lips brushing her neck with a tender kiss before fully letting go. 

Jessica looks at him in shock, and when his only response is a small smile she knocks his shoulder with enough force to knock him to the ground and stomps away, deciding that now is the perfect time for the guards to be out of action.

Kilgrave keeps his smile however, the last time he’d tried that stunt she’d knocked him out cold. 

  1. If Kilgrave isn’t sure whether or not he can do something  


Jessica looks at Kilgrave with a shocked expression on her face. It isn’t everyday Kilgrave reached new depths of depravity but here they were.

“Did you actually just use a command to shoo a child away so that you could have this table?” She asks incredulously, turning once to make sure the kid found its parents. Kilgrave looks at her as though she is the crazy one. 

“I still have one for this week and the place is packed!” Kilgrave explains, as though this fixes any wrong-doing. 

Seeing her face he amends “And the parents were gone without anyone watching the child, they’re lucky I returned their offspring to them.” 

Another glance at Jessica’s face results in a sigh and a put-upon tone, “Fine, we’ll give it back.”

  1. Kilgrave can’t use his powers until Jessica says otherwise

Jessica wakes to an amazing feeling - it’s like she’s floating. Her mind, for once, is blessedly silent. She isn’t second guessing her actions, she isn’t wondering what Kilgrave is doing, her demons aren’t rearing their heads, reminding her of everything she’s done wrong. She feels at peace. Wonderfully at peace. Is this what everyone else feels like all the time?

A part of her mind wonders if she should worry that she’s no longer in pain, whether the ever expanding pool of her blood is mingling in her hair, how there isn’t anyone to find her since she told Kilgrave to stay put in their hotel room; but she can’t really latch onto those thoughts, and so she’s floating on this wonderful state of nonbeing. 

Her mind, shutting down as it tries desperately to save her vital organs, sends one feeble thought, in a last ditch effort to wake her from the shock, reminding her of Trish, that she won’t know what’s happened to Jessica. Jessica tries to hold tighter to the largest wound, just below her right clavicle, not realizing her hand had fallen to her side long ago. 

Futilely pressing her hand to the ground Jessica remembers an evening when they were teenagers, sneaking into an R-rated movie, feeling wild and dangerous. A small smile curves her lips, and when Kilgrave stumbles upon her later he would have seen the remnant of it if his eyes went anywhere beyond the large pool of blood.

The next time Jessica wakes up she hears incessant beeping, words spoken with authority and twinges of fear - she mildly wonders what the fuss is about. She thinks she might feel people pushing her this way and that, but she’s so far removed from her body, does it really matter? The beeping gets louder and the voices match the pitch, yelling for an OR room, yelling for people, one man’s voice more shrill than most, Jessica wants to tune them all out. Then blessedly, the beeping reaches a crescendo before stopping entirely, and she thinks, finally, she can rest in that peace she felt before. The voices continue in their timber but Jessica ignores them all. It’s only as she fades away she hears a voice, the voice she dreams about. She can tell he’s grabbed her hand, even though she can’t feel it, perhaps because he’s pulled it to her chest, as oh - has her heart stopped beating?

“God damn you Jessica! Live! Do you hear me? You have to live! I command you! Please, Jessica please!” His voice is cracking and he’s crying so loudly she worries for a moment, what’s happened to make him so upset? She hears a voice yelling and Kilgrave drops her hand. A machine power up, and then his voice cries out, “please, live for me.” And she doesn’t mean to, but she listens to him, and then that incessant beeping begins again, settling into a steady rhythm. 

  
The next time Jessica wakes up she’s in a world of pain. It’s so overwhelming she tries to find a part of her not experiencing it, but she’s lying uncomfortably on her hair, so even that’s out. She tries to moan, but she’s so parched only a small huff comes out. She gets ready to try again, but something holding her hand tightens. 

“Jessica?” The voice is so full of hope it takes her a moment to realize it’s Kilgrave. This time it’s easier to moan. “Jessica!” He starts talking a mile a minute but it’s more exhausting than usual to listen, so she just lays there letting it wash over her until a doctor comes in. She wants to ask for a glass of water, or a lot more drugs, but doesn’t get the chance because in just a moment she feels something cold from her IV and then she’s out like a light. 

  
The first time Jessica wakes up with a real presence of mind she knows days have elapsed. She looks around and sees that she's in the swankiest hospital room she’s ever seen. Her hand runs over the sheets and she notes they’re some expensive blend Kilgrave raves about whenever they settle into a new place. She wonders how they could possibly afford this until she realizes - obviously Kilgrave used his powers to get her this room. He is way over his limit. 

Jessica tries to grasp some anger at Kilgrave, but for the first time in forever she feels so comfortable and blitzed out from the drugs she can’t work up any ill will. Instead she watches the light play against the window shades and almost cries from the beauty of it. 

Oh yeah, she’s high as hell.

She notices a shower’s running from somewhere behind her and tries to stay awake but the drugs are too strong and she’s pulled under again. 

  
The next time Jessica wakes up she feels more like herself than she has in forever. It’s the middle of the night, which feels more homey, and while there are some aches and pains, the overwhelming otherness that she’d been immersed in is gone. Jessica stretches her arms and legs, feeling kinks and knots lose themselves in her amazing stretch until her arms extend too far and her chest and stomach pull uncomfortably. She tries to look down and feels a worry outside herself at the hospital gown bunched around all the bandages on her torso.

Her eyes jump around the room, and she notices for the first time that Kilgrave’s sleeping in a chair by her side. Her mind puzzles this out, but his eyes open before she can figure it out. 

“Jessica.” He breathes out. 

“Kilgrave.” She returns, not sure how she wants to play this. “How did you find me?” He waves the question way, leaning across so he can pick up her hand. 

“May I hold your hand?” He asks instead. As requests go it’s particularly bad as he’s already got hers in a tight grip, but it’s also been months since he’s had to ask, so she’s not sure why he’s started up again. She looks down at their clasped hands and notes the contrast in their skin tones. She looks more pale than usual. Gathering her mind again, she repeats the question. 

“I..” He takes a moment to respond, rubbing his thumb across her palm, Jessica does her best not to shiver. “I’ve found it prudent to keep an eye out for you after we fight. When you didn’t return home at your usual time I decided to look for you, and good thing I did! Your heart stopped beating.” His thumb moves to her wrist, feeling for a pulse and driving her a bit mad with the ghostlike touch. Even with his distraction Jessica could read between the lines. 

“So you were spying on me with people you commanded?” Kilgrave’s thumb stills for a moment before continuing it’s ascent, moving to her forearm. Jessica closes her eyes at his touch, telling herself she’s just so relieved not to be in pain. 

“Only when we fight.” Is his only response. When she doesn’t immediately yell at him his hand grows bold, traveling up her arm to glide over the hospital gown, carefully going around the bandage taking real estate on her right shoulder, before resting at the juncture of her neck. His other hand remains cocooned in hers, and he leans further onto the bed. 

“You can’t-“ his hand stills, “I’m not your property to spy on.” Kilgrave ignores this, his hand skimming across her neck until his thumb finds her cheek. His touch is feather light and so gentle as he strokes her face, her hair, sending ripples of pleasure through her body. 

“You also promised me you’d be careful and then took a chest full of bullets.” Jessica has nothing to say to that, she doesn’t want to admit their fight made her careless. It’s quiet for a moment, as Kilgrave leans over her, his eyes assessing hers. She blinks slowly at him as he leans closer. 

“What are you doing?” She asks, sounding more curious than she means to.

“I saved your life.” He explains, leaning down until she can feel his breath on her lips. 

“You broke all the rules.” 

“Only to protect you. And I’m already doing penance; I’ve been eating hospital food and sleeping on this god awful chair.” His head lowers further still until she can feel his nose touching hers. Her heart is thudding so loudly she wonders if he can feel it. She wants to blame it on the drugs.

“Is this also your penance?” She asks, bemused. He leans further, until a ghost of a kiss met her lips. 

“This is positive reinforcement.” He explains, as though it were obvious. He pauses against her lips, waiting for her to fight or yell at him. When she says nothing, her eyes large and watching him, his head dips down, his fingers tightening around hers, and Jessica Jones allows The Purple Man, one Zebediah Kilgrave to kiss her. 

Later she’d tell herself she was curious to see what it felt like to kiss him without being forced to, she’d tell herself it wasn’t happening again, that it was a fluke due to being mortally injured, that it was a lingering compulsion from when he commanded her heart to beat. 

She told herself all of this after she’d broken off the kiss yet allowed him to share her hospital bed. 

But later, when they were checking out of the hospital and Kilgrave suggests they switch to a reward system to provoke him towards good deeds, Jessica feels her eyes lower to his lips and doesn’t say no. 

  


  1. They have to earn their food and lodging the honest way. 

Jessica is cold and her voice is hoarse. They’re horribly lost in a beach town, neither of their phones have any reception, and their car broke down two miles back. They’re alternating between shouting at each other about whose fault it is and complaining about who’s colder. Kilgrave’s winning, but Jessica’s sure it’s only because he’s better at it than her. 

They pass another luxury beach house and Jessica absolutely is not tempted to break in when the sky opens up with a loud clap and rain falls down on them. The first minute feels wonderfully ironic, the next four feels like a horrible sense of justice, but after another fifteen pass with no end in sight Jessica feels so miserable she thinks she’s going to lose it. The worst part is that Kilgrave’s stopped complaining. When they reach the next deserted beach house Jessica gives in, touching Kilgrave’s arm so softly he jerks to look at her.

“Do you think anyone’s home?” She asks. To anyone else they’d think she was asking if the homeowner’s would take pity on them and invite them inside, but Kilgrave understands the real implication; could they break in or would they have to command them aside? 

“I can ask.” He offers, and Jessica sees it for what it is, an offer for her not to have to dirty herself with the answer. Jessica sighs loudly.

“We’ll both go.” She says, and they make their way to the door in a disgraced state. The overhang is barely large enough to protect their heads from the rain. 

To Jessica’s relief and Kilgrave’s annoyance no one answers the door. Jessica’s thinking of a way inside when Kilgrave suggests they move to an occupied place. 

“What! Why?”

“Think about it Jessie - we break in and the alarm goes. Security people, or the police come, and then we have to do a lot more talking than you’d like. And since they’re gone it’s far more likely don’t have any fresh food.”

Jessica bites her lip, ignoring how Kilgrave notices, and tries to think. 

“What if we ask a neighbor if they know the code? No turning people out, no police. And we can make do with canned for one night.” Kilgrave looks at her, impressed.

“Suppose that could work, don’t know why I never thought of it.” 

“Because you’re a psychotic murderer.” Jessica reminds him before sitting on the sopping wet chair, “Now go get that code. And a key if you can manage it.”

Kilgrave grumbles, but he’s halfway to the neighbors before she realizes she didn’t add any threats to make sure he does as told. She tells herself not to worry, already counting the average time it would take him to get to the door, charm a code and return. He returns two minutes later than she expected him to, with an umbrella and picnic basket in his hand. The two minutes have given rise to worry, and her voice sounds more strained than she meant it to

“What’s that?” Her teeth are also clattering, she didn’t realize their constant movement had kept her warm.

“Neighborly provisions.” He explains as he slips a key inside. He puts the basket on an end table as he makes his way to their alarm system. By the time her shoes are off he’s got the system reactivated with them inside. Hating the feel of wet denim on her skin she takes off her pants, too tired and cold to consider anything other than leaving them in a pile on the floor.

Jessica leans over to look at what’s inside the basket as she unzips her sweatshirt, trying to contain the puddle her clothes are making. Kilgrave doesn’t have the same worry and he walks about, trailing mud and water everywhere. Her eyes widen as she sees the fresh bread and tomatoes, with goat cheese and lamb shanks, and chocolates? She takes off her shirt, deciding to leave her tank top on until she can get to a bathroom, although honestly she imagines she’d look about the same either way. 

“I hope you’re not expecting me to cook.” She says as she turns to look for a blanket or towel, Kilgrave’s returned with two for her but when she reaches for it he doesn’t move, totally frozen. Jessica lowers her arm, belatedly thinking she should have left her clothes on and dripped all over the house. 

“What are you doing?” Kilgrave asks, and Jessica wants to cross her arms in front of her body, but refuses to look cowed. 

“I’m trying not to get mud and water everywhere.” She says with a hard glare. Kilgrave gapes, his eyes moving from one spot to another so quickly she realizes he’s trying to memorize her. In his agitation he’s dropped the towels. Jessica feels a bit foolish, the water drip tracks down her body, and decides to double down. “You’re seen me like this before.” It comes off as a recrimination of before, but Jessica actually meant that sometimes she sleeps in an outfit similar to this. 

She waits for him to say something but Kilgrave’s staring at her in that befuddled look he gets sometimes. She expects his eyes to have settled on her tits, but instead his eyes are aimed considerably lower and she can feel her cheeks lighting up in a traitorous blush. Her body reminds her the last time a man had seen her in her underwear and lets out a low throb. His hands keep moving as if to touch her, but they remain at his side. Jessica wonders for a moment what it would be like to warm up with his body instead of the bath she’s just been picturing. 

She feels herself take a step towards him, and watches his eyes widen, an audible gulp is heard, and then another as she takes another step. She wonders what the hell she’s doing, it feels like a compulsion but Kilgrave hasn’t said a word. Her toes are almost touching his shoes when he wakes up, moving swiftly to take off his jacket. 

She’s absolutely sure he’s about to touch her, already imagining the next step, when he slides his jacket over her shoulders. The wet cloth cools her thoughts and plunges her back to reality. What had she been thinking?!

“Best get warmed up.” He says, stepping away from her, “I’ll use the downstairs toilet.” Jessica watches him walk away, pulling on his tie as he unerringly heads for the nearest bathroom. A weird quirk about his Jessica tries not to ponder. She listens to him open and shut a door, and the telltale signs of someone getting undressed. 

It’s only when she hears the water turns on that she remembers how cold she is and goes up the stairs to look for the master bathroom. The hot water quickly fills the bathtub, but Jessica sits at the edge for a long time before she sinks in, still wrapped in his large suit jacket.


End file.
